Friday, May 29, 2009

Out of the blue, all those PLAAF AWAC and ELINT birds are gathering in Jinzhou and headed toward the South East, don't know why.

In an unrelated story..

May 29, 2009U.S. Presses China for Tough Response to North KoreaBy MARK LANDLER and DAVID E. SANGER

WASHINGTON — The United States is pressing China to consider taking a variety of severe sanctions against North Korea, including the inspection of suspect ships and planes, as it tries to ratchet up the global response to Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test, administration officials said Thursday.

But it is not clear that the Chinese government has the stomach for a heightened showdown with North Korea, these officials said, even though its criticism of the underground test on Monday was unusually vehement.

The administration’s initiative reflects a belief that the greatest threat posed by a nuclear North Korea is the leakage of critical weapons parts or fissile material to other states or terrorist organizations, rather than the prospect of North Korea’s making one of its neighbors a target for a bomb. President Obama’s national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones, described the proliferation threat in some detail in a speech in Washington on Wednesday evening.

The White House has not said publicly whether it supports enforcing a 2006 United Nations Security Council resolution, passed after the North’s first nuclear test, that permits the inspection of ships suspected of carrying missile parts or nuclear technology.

Those operations could be tricky: North Korea has said it will regard such an action as an act of war, and American intelligence about North Korean shipments has been poor. The North’s involvement in the construction of a Syrian nuclear reactor went undetected for years, until shortly before Israel destroyed the reactor in September 2007.

Yet there is a growing conviction in Washington and other capitals that North Korea’s actions demand a stronger response than the usual menu of economic sanctions and political rebukes that have left the nation isolated but unbowed in its pursuit of nuclear status.

The administration is also seeking China’s cooperation in a global effort to disrupt the flow of money to North Korea’s ruler, Kim Jong-il, and his family, officials said. Some of that money is suspected to be held in Chinese-owned banks, making such an effort diplomatically sensitive.

Still, a senior official said he was “pleasantly surprised” by how open China was to cooperating with the United States. China has historically tolerated the erratic behavior of Mr. Kim, worrying more about a calamitous collapse of his government than about his nuclear ambitions. But the recent test and missile launchings, the official said, may have crossed a line with China’s leaders.

“At the level of Chinese irritation, this is historic,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “Normally, the Chinese urge us not to react. But they are reaching a point where they could be agreeable to using more of their own weight.”

The Chinese, officials said, have taken note of South Korea’s decision this week to join an American-led security campaign to stop the spread of nuclear material, as well as the harsh words about North Korea from some parts of Japan’s political establishment. The United States is to discuss efforts to intercept ships coming from North Korea with officials from South Korea and Japan at a regional security conference this weekend in Singapore, where the defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, will meet with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts.

The deputy secretary of state, James B. Steinberg, will attend those meetings, and will then travel to Tokyo for further meetings with Japanese officials, according to the State Department. Mr. Steinberg may also be involved in negotiations with the Chinese, a senior official said.

At home, the United States continued to rally support for a resolution in the United Nations. The State Department spokesman, Ian C. Kelly, said no agreement was likely to be reached for at least two days.

While the major powers uniformly condemned North Korea’s test, there was some confusion Thursday about whether Russia, which holds a veto in the Security Council and is a member of the multilateral talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, was balking at additional sanctions.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Andrei Nesterenko, told reporters in Moscow, “We do not need to use the language of sanctions.” Still, American and Japanese officials said they did not believe that Russia had retreated from its tough initial response.

Because North Korea would regard the interception of its ships as an act of war, the Bush administration decided not to do that after the North’s first nuclear test in 2006.

The United States and South Korea have already raised the alert level for their forces in South Korea to its highest level in three years — increasing the number of surveillance flights and satellite reconnaissance — reflecting what military commanders say is a “grave threat” from North Korea.

Whatever the risks, some independent experts are advising the Obama administration to put all options on the table, including a military strike on North Korea’s nuclear sites and missile launching pads. “We could have stopped this last nuclear test if we had chosen to,” said William Perry, a former defense secretary who negotiated with North Korea during the Clinton administration. “We could have stopped the first one if we had chosen to.”

“That requires military action, and I’m not recommending military action,” Mr. Perry said, speaking Thursday at the Council on Foreign Relations. “But somewhere along in this series of coercive actions, one can imagine an escalation, and if the ones that are less do not succeed, we have to be willing to consider the other ones.”

The nuclear test and North Korea’s other actions, he said, suggested that the government no longer viewed its nuclear program as a chip to be used in negotiations with neighbors or the United States. Rather, he said, North Korea is determined to remain a nuclear-weapons state.

This presents Mr. Obama with a different set of calculations than either President George W. Bush or President Bill Clinton confronted.

“We now have a new situation that has not appeared before,” said Brent Scowcroft, a national security adviser to President Gerald R. Ford and the first President Bush, who spoke on a panel with Mr. Perry. Under these circumstances, he said, the United States had both more leverage and incentive to enlist the cooperation of China, as North Korea’s most influential neighbor.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/world/asia/29diplo.html?_r=1&ref=global-home&pagewanted=print

As someone who likes to work on landscape on Saturdays, I am shock, shock, to see the condition of Chengdu Airport, really? Is this the best landscape job you can do? Weeds are everywhere!

I know a few guys from from Langley Virginia that can mow the lawn for you for 8 dollars an hours . See, look at how good of a landscape job they done. Look at those beautiful tulips, they really bring serenity to where it is needed..

Monday, May 25, 2009

A number of news outlets reported that US is seeking China's help in effort to stabilize Pakistan, they proposed that China should provide arms and training to Pakistan military. That is a good idea, how come no one in China considered that before in the past 30 years. Chinese weapons in the Pakistan military? What is this world coming to? The horror, the horror.

LAHORE: in an effort of broadening support for stabilising Pakistan, the United States administration has appealed to China to provide training and even military equipment to help Islamabad counter a growing terrorist threat, the Chicago Tribune said on Sunday. Quoting US officials, the paper said the proposal was part of a broad push by Washington to enlist key allies of Pakistan in an effort to persuade Islamabad to step up its efforts against terrorists while simultaneously supporting the country’s civilian government and struggling economy. Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, has visited China and Saudi Arabia, another key ally, in recent weeks as part of the effort, it said. daily times monitor

Sunday, May 24, 2009

J-10FF, FF stands for FireFighter edition....actually no, it is the PLAAF's "August 1" Aerobatic Flight Team's new bird practicing for the upcoming Oct 1st National Day Parade. Why the bright red color scheme? Well, consider the parade will be directed by Zhang Yimou, it should not be a surprise. Just add a dragon (make sure it is painted yellow) on the fuselage and you are good to go.

BEIJING: Movie director Zhang Yimou will follow up his successful opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics by orchestrating a celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of communist China, his assistant said Friday.

Directing the Oct. 1 celebration indicates how firmly Zhang, 57, is embraced by the ruling Communist Party after last year's Olympic opening ceremony that stunned television audiences around the world.

For a time, Zhang was considered a troublemaker and had several of his films banned.

Zhang made his career directing films such as "Raise the Red Lantern" and "To Live," unflinching stories about the hardships during China's turbulent 20th century that were not well received by Chinese authorities.

He later directed less gritty works such as "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," which made his work available to a wider audience in China and focused more on historical epic.

More than 40,000 people took part in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, using thousands of costumes and lavish stage sets. Zhang has said the task was much harder than making any film.

Now, Zhang has been given the task of organizing the celebrations marking the founding of the People's Republic of China, said the English-language China Daily newspaper, citing an unnamed senior Beijing municipal government official.

Zhang Jigang, a vice director of the Olympic ceremonies, will team up with the director to put on a "grand show," the report said. While the anniversary is celebrated every year, China normally puts on a bigger show every 10 years.

Zhang Yimou's assistant, Pang Liwei, confirmed that Zhang will be in charge of a gala on the evening of the anniversary but it was not clear what the event would involve.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the tone will be "solemn" rather than extravagant because of the financial crisis.

That means Zhang may have to rely on eye-catchers besides flying acrobats and an extravaganza of fireworks that marked the Olympic gala. The celebration will follow a parade of tanks and missile launchers that will show off the might of the People's Liberation Army.

The military parade will go down Beijing's main boulevard that crosses Tiananmen Square in the heart of the city, from where Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949, after a civil war with the Nationalists, who fled to Taiwan.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Looking at joint projects such as the S-300/400 family of SAM, it has became apparent that days of hardware fire-sell to the PLA had been long gone; increasingly, as demonstrated by the many joint defense projects that China is a partner with financial and technology contributions.

http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jsws/jsws9067.html

HQ-19 (S-400) (China)

SectionDefensive weapons

Appearing inJane's Strategic Weapon Systems

Publication dateDec 23, 2008

DescriptionIt is now believed that the Russian S-400 Triumf (Chinese designator HQ-19) surface-to-air missile system was a joint development programme with China. The system uses the same sensors, battle management and launch vehicles as the Russian S-300 (SA-10/-20 'Grumble') and Chinese HQ-9/-15. The S-400 introduces three new missiles, the 9M96, 9M96/2 and the 40N6, which can be fitted in new canisters replacing all or some of the S-300 missile canisters on the TEL. It is believed that a new TEL vehicle has been developed specifically to carry the S-400 missiles, and that this is a wheeled vehicle carrying six to eight missiles. The 9M96 missile has a length of 4.75 m, a body diameter of 0.24 m, a launch weight of 333 kg, and a 24 kg HE warhead. Guidance is inertial with command updates and an active radar terminal seeker. The missile has a two-stage solid propellant motor system, with a maximum range of 40 km. The second stage has lateral thrust motors to improve manoeuvrability in the terminal phase, similar to the US PAC-3 design. It can intercept targets from 5 m up to 20 km altitude. The 9M96/2 missile has a length of 5.65 m, a body diameter of 0.24 m, and a launch weight of 420 kg. The two missiles share the same separating second stage, but have different boost motors. The 9M96/2 missile has a maximum range of 120 km, and can intercept targets from 5 m up to 30 km altitude. The 40N6 version

The world's most advanced rescue submarine, commissioned by the Chinese Navy, is undergoing trials at an underwater centre in Fort William.

Capable of operating in depths of more than 300 metres, its size means it can rescue up to 18 people at once.

The trials are taking place in Loch Linnhe, where water depths are up to 150 metres.

The vessel could deal with incidents such as Russia's Kursk disaster 2000, in which 118 sailors died.

Once the first phase of tests are completed, the LR7 will take part in a simulated rescue.

The final phase of trials, part of an extensive testing and design process, will include pilot training.

The vessel was designed and developed by Perry Slingsby Systems, part of the Aberdeen-based Triton Group.

BBC reporter Ben Geoghan described the experience of going down in the submarine as "quite comfortable". He said the main advantage of the LR7 is its large size.

He added: "There is, what someone described to me, as something of an underwater space race going on. One which presumably the Chinese now are leading, but the Koreans and Singaporeans are not far behind.

"The real test will come when we do get another accident at sea involving a sub to see which vessel is deployed and whether they do manage to bring back survivors."

The rescue submarine itself has a relatively quick turnaround time and can stay underwater for up to four days.

Martin Anderson, chief executive of Triton Group, said it was an "extremely exciting development".

After the trial is complete, the LR7 will undergo further checks and be fitted with ancillary equipment before being delivered to China for sea trials.

A Chinese delegation attended SETT in July 2008, two of the delegation were the first students from China to conduct Pressurised Escape Training.

The course was the first of its kind for China and highlighted the importance of Pressurised Escape Training not only for UK submariners but for every submariner all over the world.Many more countries throughout the world are introducing Pressurised Escape Training because they are aware of the risks and dangers that face submariners and believe it is the only way to prepare for the unthinkable. As well as successfully conducting Pressurised Escape Training the delegation were also given presentations on the role of SPAG by Lt Andy Sharpe and Rescue Assets by Cdr Charlie Neve.

The students completed unpressurised elements of the course involving Surface Survival drills, Rush Escape and various modules in the classroom including Survival in the DISSUB.

Furthur discussion was also provided with subject matter expert Mr Brian Wood (right) on the operation and manning of the Submarine Escape Training Tank.

This visit was important for the SETT in that it identifies that Submariners all over the world from varying cultures look to the UK for leadership and guidance with regards to preparing submariners to escape successfully from a distressed Submarine. This unique type of training can only be achieved using the equipment in a PRESSURISED enviroment.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

I waited a few days before posting this follow up on the recent Sino-US maritime disputes; as I expected, pundits are interested in puffing-and-buffing but when it came to actually seating-down and trying to address issues in a professional manner, major news outlets do not seems to care, only NYT gave it a news-brief.

Senior Chinese and American military officials have held high-level talks to resolve maritime disputes, China Daily, the main state-run, English-language newspaper, reported Friday. The newspaper, citing an unidentified official, said that the two militaries still disagreed on how to interpret international maritime law, but that the sides “have expressed their views candidly in the latest round of military exchange.” The exchange between Adm. Gary Roughead, the United States chief of naval operations, and Adm. Wu Shengli, the Chinese naval chief, took place in Qingdao last month, China Daily reported.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan is to buy an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) from China to boost its air defences, a Pakistani newspaper reported on Thursday.

The News newspaper said a $278 million agreement had been struck for Pakistan to get the Chinese system within four years, on a deferred payment basis.

Pakistani defence procurement officials were not immediately available for comment.

The report comes as relations between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India have been severely strained by last month's militant attacks in Mumbai, which India has blamed on "elements" within Pakistan.

Pakistan would be the first country to buy the Chinese AWACS system which China only started producing in 2004, the News said.

Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding with China in November 2006 for long-term collaboration in defence production including development of an airborne early warning surveillance system.

China and Pakistan have been allies for years and China is Pakistan's biggest supplier of defence equipment.

Last month, Pakistan was granted a $7.6 billion loan by the International Monetary Fund to avert a balance of payments crisis and prevent the government defaulting on its international debt obligations.

Monday, May 11, 2009

I don't need to close my eyes to imagine the political firestorm if (that is a HUGE if) China decided to sell HQ-9 to Iran. The likelihood of Iran getting HQ-9 or any air defense system from China or Russia is very low; to no surprise, the report by the Jerusalem Post suggests otherwise; consider after years of trying; China is now a member of the Iranian nuclear talk.

If the sales of HQ-9 are confirmed, it will have a huge negative for China's role as a possible mediator, since China is one of the few nations did not push for hasher sanction on Iran, and to some analyst, its flourishing trade relation with Iran which stands at 25 Billion dollar a years, actually has some leverage. Also, Israel did not bring up the issue of a possible SAM sale during China’s Foreign Minster Yang Jiechi’s visit to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue on April 23rd. The whole affair seems somewhat questionable.

Iran will turn to China instead of Russia to acquire an advanced air defense system after relations between Iran and Russia hit rock bottom, the official Iranian news agency PressTV reported.

For years Iran has been trying to purchase the S-300 anti-aircraft missile, which is considered to one of the most advanced systems available on the market and would dramatically increase Iran's air defense capabilities against any attacks on its nuclear installations.

The S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 75 miles away, features high jamming immunity making it harder to incapacitate the system electronically, and is able to engage up to 100 targets simultaneously.

Teheran will now turn to China for the HongQi-9/FD-2000 system which reportedly combines elements "borrowed" from the Russian S-300 and the American MIM-104 Patriot system, according to the Iranian news agency.RELATED

The negotiations between Teheran and Moscow began in 2007, but neither side has ever issued an official confirmation of the deal.

The Russian sale of arms to Iran is a thorn in Moscow's relationship with Washington, which opposes Iran's quest for nuclear weapons and labels it "a sponsor of state terrorism," according the United States State Department.

In addition to American pressure on Russia not to sell weapons to Iran, Israel is also trying to persuade Russia not to export the system.

It is believed that when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu meets with US President Barack Obama in Washington on May 18 that Iran's nuclear program will top the agenda.

In April, London's Times reported that Israeli military forces were in the final stages of preparation for launching a "massive aerial raid" on Iranian nuclear facilities "within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government."

The paper cites the acquisition of three AWACs (early warning system) platforms and planned civil defense drills in support of its theory. The Times quoted an unnamed Israeli defense official as saying that Israel's "message to Iran is that the threat is not just words."

However, an airstrike against Iran's nuclear installations will be much tougher than the bombing raid that Israel launched in 1981 to destroys Iraq's nuclear reactor in Osirak, since the Iranian installations are not only further away from Israel but also spread out all over Iran in addition to being heavily fortified.

Iran is reportedly seeking to buy a Chinese-made air defense system which is a variant of the Russian S-300.Press TV - In its quest for an advanced air defense system, Iran has reportedly shifted its hopes from Russia to China which owns a replica of the controversial Russian S-300.

As Iran's quest for the advanced Russian-made S-300 air defense system is believed to have hit rock bottom, a report by RIA Novosti said Tehran is eying a Chinese-made HQ-9 surface-to-air missile under the name FD-2000 -- recently put on the export market.

It uses elements of the Russian system's "solid rocket, aerodynamic layout, gas-dynamic spoilers, and launcher technologies, as well as some search and guidance systems."

The missile has a range of 7-125 kilometers for airborne targets -- a range much lower than the 150-kilometer range of the Russian S-300 PMU1.

The Chinese system's range for missile targets, or air-to-ground missiles, is 7-50 kilometers, with a firing altitude of 1-18 kilometers. Its range for cruise missiles is 7-15 kilometers, at a firing altitude of 0.025 kilometers.

The range for ballistic missiles is 7-25 kilometers at a firing altitude of 2-15 kilometers.

Iran has been negotiating a deal with Russia to obtain the sophisticated defense system since 2007. However, neither side has so far issued an official confirmation on the delivery of the S-300 to Iran.

Later media reports claimed that Russia's plan to turn a "new page" in its ties with the United States is likely to prompt Moscow to shelve the delivery of the S-300 system to Iran.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari, however, said in April that the contract to buy Russia's S-300 advance missile system is still effective.

"There are no problems with this [S-300] contract," RIA Novosti quoted Safari as saying at the end of his visit to Moscow.

"After all, these are purely defensive weapons, and any country has the right to buy them. I believe this could only worry those states that have plans to attack others," he said.

Following an escalation in Israeli rhetoric, Iran has moved to upgrade its defenses and has reportedly opted to acquire the S-300 system -- which, according to Western experts, would rule out the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iranian nuclear sites.

"If Tehran obtained the S-300, it would be a game-changer in military thinking for tackling Iran," says long-time Pentagon advisor Dan Goure.

The S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away, features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets.

Iran's move to equip itself with the Chinese air defense system comes as an earlier report by the Jerusalem Post revealed that Israeli missile operators have begun weekly drills to hone their skills for a war on Iran.

According to the report, Israeli Air Force (IAF) reservists who operate the ballistic missile destroyer, the Arrow, and the surface-to-air missile, Patriot, have been called up by the Defense Ministry to spend one day a week on duty to prepare for a possible conflict with Iran.

The weekly military drills come on top of another report revealing that Israel is set to mobilize its army to hold the largest military exercise in its history on June 2.

One of the missions of the nationwide military drill is to psych up the public for the breaking out of war and to convince the people that in the event of a war the entire country could "become a front without warning".

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Apparently, Pakistan Army did not take the lessons learned by the US army in Iraq and Sri Lankan Army’s operation against Tarmil Tigers by protecting its AFV with an anti-RPG layer of metal-frame such as US Army’s Strykers’s "slat armor" implementation. Metal-frame provides some protections against HEAT projectiles as these would detonate away from the main body.

Since most of Pakistan army’s equipments have Chinese origins, it will be interesting to see how well they perform in combat.

Strykers with Metal-frame gearing as extras for the next Mad-max movie.

British Bull dog with its more professional looking and less Mad-max looking Metal-frame

Friday, May 08, 2009

While the following two PR photos of FC-1 prototype number 4 might look impressive; with its enlarged engine air intake (SDI), extended wingroot and tailfin RWR. However, PLAAF still refuses to commit to this joint Sino-Pakistan project puts a damper on this bird's future even as its production line finally opened at Kamra's Pakistan Aeronautical Complex on January 22nd 2008.

For Pakistan, the FC-1 project can be seen as a great leap forward, but that is not the case for PLAAF, whom already commissioned at lease four regiments of the much more capable J-10s. Thus, possible sales to nations such as Egypt, Iran, and Bangladesh have became more critical for FC-1 to outgrow its reputation as a niche system.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Tomorrow is the release date of JJ Abrams’s new Star Trek movie, so to answer your burning question of the century; when did Type97 rifle became the standard issue of Star Trek voyager?

The question (as proved by wtlh)

The assault rifles that the Kradin use are the AKU-94, a conversion of the AK-47 into a bullpup design, while the Vori use the Muzzelite MZ-14, a similar modification of the Mini-14 rifle. But it looked too much like the 97!

However, Type 97 is still preferred in Stargate and commander of the LTTE Tamil Tigers

Prabhakaran, leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and his captured Type 97

An engine boat pulls the cable under the sea out in Hainan on Tuesday. The first submarine cable connecting Hainan and the mainland was laid to provide power to the island. [China Daily\Zhong Weiwei]

The 32-kilometer-long oil-filled and kraft-paper-wrapped high voltage cable, dragged by engine, arrived at Linshi Island of Qiaotou town in Chengmai County at 15:28pm, connecting the power nets of the island to those of the mainland.

The connection ended the island’s history of running power all by itself. "People of Hainan had looked forward to the day for years and it finally came true," said Yin Lian, manager in general of the corporation.

A ship carrying cable left from Guangdong last week and "threw out" cable all the way along. It was about 1,000 meters away off the Linshi Island where the cable was capped with a terminal, which was then carried by a boat to the shore. The terminal was laid along the planned line before an engine boat pulled out the cable under the sea with people cheering.

The cable with a diameter of 14cm will serve the power and telecom nets and national defense mission on the island.

According to South China Power, it was discussing further cooperation with Hainan with three more submarine cables to be laid connecting the island the mainland.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

I will post more on the Kuayue 2009 as more information became available.

While a 50,000 troops drill is not large by PLA standards, as there were many 100,000 troops drills conducted during the past 20 years to list them all here. However, the fact that the drill will be composed by four different divisions from different regions is interesting, as it could be an indication of a battalion battle-group focused drill. In theory, a PLA battalion battle-group is composed by elements from different service arms to fit a specified mission profile, a break from the traditional top heavy and rigid regimental structures. Looking at the 50,000 troops figure; it is likely that four battle-groups from four different divisions with support elements to test out different scenarios.

This drill is not "Taiwan Centric" as elements from Nanjing is not involved, another break from the past.

China to hold massive military drill in second half of 2009www.chinaview.cn 2009-05-05 20:46:52 Print

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) has started preparations for a massive military drill in the second half of this year that involves as many as 50,000 troops, sources from the Headquarters of General Staff said here Tuesday.

The drill, dubbed Kuayue-2009, will be undertaken by troops from four military command areas, namely, Shenyang, Lanzhou, Jinan and Guangzhou.

This is the first time in the history of the PLA that four divisions from four military command areas are taking part in a drill that involves the deployment of troops across different military command areas, the sources said.

The PLA has seven area command areas. The other three are Beijing, Chengdu and Nanjing.

The Air Force and the Army Aviation troop will also send men and various aircraft to take part in the drill, the sources said.

The drill is aimed at assessing and improving the PLA's overall combat capacity in the context of information warfare, the sources said.

It will put to tests the PLA's capacity in command and decision-making, joint operations of land and air troops, operations in complicated electro-magnetic conditions, paratrooper assault operations, simulated battles, and comprehensive exercises by specialist units.

China to stage 50,000-troop military drill: report

ReutersTuesday, May 5, 2009; 9:33 AM

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's People's Liberation Army will hold a big training drill later this year to hone the modernizing force's skills in complex, high-tech warfare, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

The exercise will involve 50,000 troops from four divisions across four of China's seven military command regions, Xinhua reported, citing the PLA General Staff Headquarters. It will include infantry forces as well as paratroopers and aircraft.

The drill will mark another step in China's efforts to remake its military as a modern force, capable of complex and far-reaching missions, Xinhua said.

China showed its growing confidence as a military power during a naval parade last month that featured two of its nuclear submarines.

A PLA parade in Beijing on October 1 to mark the founding of the People's Republic of China will also underscore that confidence.

While the global economic crisis has forced many nations to rethink military spending plans, Beijing plans to spend more on its military. In March, the government said the official military budget would grow to 480.7 billion yuan ($70 billion) in 2009, a 14.9 percent rise on last year.

For decades, the focus of PLA planning has been seeking to prevent a possible bid for full independence by Taiwan, the self-governed island divided from the mainland since 1949.

But in recent years, Chinese military horizons have expanded with the country's economic reach, and its navy has been helping with anti-piracy patrols off the east African coast.